Multi-gripping surface wrench with offset fulcrum



g- 30, 1955 J. KEELEY, JR 2,716,365

MULTI-GRIPPING SURFACE WRENCH WITH OFFSET FULCRUM Filed April 50, 1953 JAMES KEELEYJR.

"W MM United States Patent MULTI-GRIPPING SURFACE WRENCH WITH OFFSET FULCRUM James Keeley, Jr., Newark, N. J.

Application April 30, 1953, Serial No. 352,163

8 Claims. (CI. 81-79) This invention relates generally to tools and more particularly to a wrench with coacting jaws adapted to trans mit manually exerted pressure uniformly to the member being gripped to facilitate the loosening and tightening thereof.

In connection with fuel, oil and gas lines in piping systems and on machinery and engines of all types, the bolting members and the members in threaded engagement are generally designed with a hexagonal head.

It has been found by mechanics and servicemen dealing with these hexagonal members that the conventional type, open, closed or socket wrenches, tend to exert pressures unequally on the members, or are not adapted to fit the members for close engagement as a result of which the member is defaced, the gripping surfaces thereof distorted or destroyed, which increases the working time by requiring the mechanic to remove the members by various known remedial methods in the art.

I The present invention seeks to overcome this problem by means of a series of hexagonal wrenches sized in accordance with the machine standards for hexagonal nuts and bolts, etc., which are well known in the trade, wherein each individual wrench will have coacting jaws adapted to form a hexagonal opening, each jaw being formed on the opposite end of its respective handle element 50 that the handle elements in operative pivotal engagement on an olfset fulcrum will be able to close the respective jaw elements about a hexagonal member, grip the'same, and distribute pressure uniformly on the respective surfaces of the member being gripped.

With this and other objects in view, as may appear from the accompanying specification, the invention consists of various features of construction and combination of parts, which will be first described in connection with the accompanying drawings, showing a multi-gripping surface wrench with offset fulcrum of a preferred form embodying the invention, and the features forming the invention will be specifically pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the individual hexagonal wrench.

Figure 2 is a partial section taken on line 2--2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an exploded view showing the relative relation between the connecting portions and the jaw elements of the hexagonal wrench.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, Figure 1 illustrates an individual wrench generally designated 1 of a wrench set (not shown), each of the members of which have a substantially identical construction.

The wrench 1 comprises a pair of members 2 and 3. Each member 2 and 3 in turn has integrally formed handles 5 and 6, connecting portions 7 and 8 and jaw elements 9 and 10.

The connecting portion 7 is wider than the connecting portion 8 of the respective members 2 and 3 and each connecting portion is approximately one-half the thickness of its respective continuous jaw element 9 and 10 2,716,365 Patented Aug. 30, 19 55 The reason the pivot pin 4 is set on an offset fulcrum,

is to allow the jaw elements to open and close without interfering with the formation of the hexagonal shaped opening 12 in the engaged position, as shown in Figure 1, and for the .further advantage of giving the operator a mechanical advantage when pressure is exerted on the handle elements 5 and 6.

The connecting portion 7 and the connecting portion 8, as clearly shown in Figure 3 are each respectively cut back as at 13 and 14, to allow the members 2 and 3 to fully open the jaw elements 9 and .10, or to, close them to form the hexagonal opening hereinafter described.

Jaw element 9 forms one-half and jaw element 10 the other half of the hexagonal opening 12, and accordingly, each contains thereon three surface gripping elements as at 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20.

The jaw elements are adapted so that when moved to an engaged or closed position, the gripping surfaces 15 and 20 and 17 and 18 interengage each other. This is accomplished by extending the outer end of the jaw elements 9 and 10 to form indented portions or cut-outs 21 and 22, shown in Figure 3, which in effect extend the gripping surfaces 15 and 20 but allow them to interengage on the centerline designated CL. Similarly the inner end of the jaw elements 9 will have the gripping surface 18 extended as at 23, to allow the abutting or stop surface 24 of jaw element 10 formed at a predetermined angle to the gripping surface 17 to engage thereon to the centerline CL when the jaws are moved to a closed, position as shown in Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings. Sufficient clearance as at 25 and26 is allowed between the adjacent ends of the jaw elements to enable the abutting surface 24 to make such engagement.

Operation The size of a hexagonal member (not shown) to be gripped is determined, and the individual wrench such as designated 1 herein to fit the same selected by the operator. The wrench is grasped manually by the handles 5 and 6, which as indicated are spaced and adapted for easy and firm gripping, and are pivoted to open the jaws 9 and 10. Then one or the other of the jaw elements 9 or 10, are placed or fitted to the hexagonal member (not shown) to be gripped, and the handles 5 and 6 are then manually moved to a closed or engaging position, as shown in Figure 1 in snug, face-to-face engagement between each of the gripping surfaces 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 and the respective face elements of the hexagonal member to be gripped.

In the engaged position the member can be easily threaded inwardly or outwardly as desired without destroying the member, as the exerted pressure must be distributed substantially equally about this member being gripped.

It will be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific construction or arrangement of parts shown, but that they may be widely modified within the invention defined by the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a wrench, a pair of members pivotally connected on a fulcrum offset from the centerline of said Wrench, complementary jaw elements formed on said members adapted to form a hexagonal opening in the closed position, said jaw elements each having an inner, an intermediate and an outer gripping surface forming one-half of said hexagonal opening, the outer end of said jaws extended past the centerline of said wrench and having indented portions thereon to allow the ends to interengage each other, said outer gripping surfaces being continuous with said ends of the jaw elements to interengage in the centerline of said Wrench, and means coacting with at least one of said inner gripping surfaces to allow said inner gripping surfaces to interengage on said centerline.

2. In a wrench as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means coacting with the gripping Surfaces includes, an abutting shoulder extending rearwardly of the inner gripping surface on one of said jaw elements and disposed at the hex angle of the inner gripping surface of the other jaw element, and an extension continuous with said other inner gripping surface on the last mentioned jaw element to interengage said abutting shoulder in the closed position.

3. In a wrench, a first and a second member each including integrally formed handles, connecting portions and jaw elements, at least one of said connecting portions being substantially wider than the other to provide an offset fulcrum for pivotally connecting said members, said connecting portions having a thickness approximately one-half of that of the jaw elements and being provided with cut-back portions to allow said members to fully open the jaw elements, said jaw elements each including an inner, an intermediate and an outer gripping surface thereon, and means coacting with said inner and said outer gripping surfaces to adapt said jaws to form a hexagonal opening in the closed operative position.

4. In a wrench, a first and a second member each including integrally formed handles, connecting portions and jaw elements, at least one of said connecting portions being substantially wider than the other to provide an offset fulcrum for pivotally connecting said members, said connecting portions having a thickness approximately onehalf of that of the jaw elements and being provided with cut-back portions to allow said members to fully open the jaw elements, said jaw elements each including an inner, an intermediate and an outer gripping surface thereon, the outer ends of the respective jaws extended past the center-line of said wrench in the assembled position and provided with indented portions on said ends to allow said outer gripping surfaces on the respective jaw elements to interengage each other on the said centerline, at least one of said inner gripping surfaces having a portion thereof extended, and abutting means adjacent said other inner gripping surface and angled rearwardly therefrom at a predetermined angle to engage the extended portion on closing movement of the jaw elements to form a hexagonal opening. 4

5. In a wrench as claimed in claim 3 wherein said means enacting with said gripping surface includes, an

abutting surface adjacent one of said jaw elements disposed to extend rearwardly from the inner gripping surface thereof at the hex angle of the other inner gripping surface, and the outer ends of said jaw elements extendmg past the centerline of said Wrench and having indented portions to allow said ends to override each other, and said jaws adjacent the ends of said indented portions having a minimal clearance space to allow engagement of said abutting surface with the oppositely disposed extension of the inner gripping surface.

6. In a wrench, a pair of members plvotally connected on a fulcrum offset from the center line of said wrench, complementary jaw elements formed on said members adapted to form a multi-gripping surface opening in the closed position, said jaw elements each having at least an inner and an outer gripping surface and forming onehalf of said opening, abutting means angled rearwardly from one of said inner gripping surfaces parallel to the plane of the opposite inner gripping surface, and said opposite inner gripping surface extended to engage said abutting means in the closed position.

7. In a wrench, a pair of members pivotally connected on a fulcrum offset from the center line of said wrench, complementary jaw elements formed on said members adapted to form a multi-gripping surface opening in the closed position, said jaw elements each having at least an inner and an outer gripping surface and forming one-half of said opening, the outer end of said jaws extending past the center line of said wrench and having indented portions thereon to allow the ends to interengage each other, said outer gripping surfaces being continuous with said ends of the jaw elements to inter-engage in the center line of said wrench, and means coacting with at least one of said inner gripping surfaces to allow said inner gripping surfaces to inter-engage on said center line.

8. In a wrench as claimed in claim 7 wherein said means comprises an abutting portion angled rearwardly from one of said inner gripping surfaces parallel to the plane of the opposite inner gripping surface, and said opposite inner gripping surface is extended to engage said abutting portion in the closed position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 418,742 McFeely Jan. 7, 1890 634,175 Levin Oct. 3, 1899 658,565 Deeble Sept. 25, 1900 1,118,871 Leonard Nov. 24, 1914 1,293,696 Bush Feb. 11, 1919 1,464,128 Coes Aug. 7, 1923 

